A couple of weeks ago, we had the pleasure of reuniting with one of our bello families, whom we hadn’t seen in five years. Nora had reached out to us in the spring and said that she & her husband, Jonny, who live in England with their now three kids (they only had one when we saw them last), would be returning to the Cape in July/August, to visit with Nora’s family and were we available to do another family session at the beach. Ummmmm, let me think about that. YES!!!

We just love when we get to see our special families again, and Nora’s family is REALLY wonderful. They are warm, kind, sweet, funny, salt-of-the-Earth people and we loved getting to spend some time with them again.

In addition to Nora & Johnny and their three crazy cute kids, Jack, Madison & Will, we also got to see Nora’s lovely sister, Karen, and her wonderful kids, Nicole & James, who are the kind of kids who make me want to have kids….if they could be just like them! They are so sweet with their mom and each other, and really anyone they meet. I wanted to put them all in my pocket and take them home with me.

We also got to see Nora’s wonderful parents Cheryl and Garry again, and learned that Garry is really quite an impressive fine art/landscape photographer. Digital has totally changed photography and today everyone fancies themselves a photographer. But, Garry, he’s no joke. An architect by trade, his creative mind is truly a beautiful thing and the work he shared blew my socks off (reminds me of someone else I know…Terri!). I totally want to go to his next show when he has one…..really impressive. I’ll be sure to share the info when I get it for any other photography buff out there!

Nora’s older brother, Greg, was also back from Colorado for some family fun, this time with his beautiful new bride, Thahn. These two are soooo cute together! We’re so happy for them both! We also got to say hello to some other family members we’d met before, but who weren’t participating in this year’s session.

Without further ado…here’s a look at our time with this wonderful family!

Karen’s relationship with her children is so inspiring. There is obvious love, respect and adoration for one another that seems to transcend the often challenging relationships kids & their parents sometimes have. Similarly, Nicole & James are soooo cute together. We had done a photo of them years ago, holding hands along the shore and they asked us this time if they could do something similar. We, of course, said, YES! And, I nearly added, “Only if I can give you both a big, fat kiss when we’re done!” I mean what 15/10 year olds do you know would want to do this? These two are sweeter than sugar! Just love them!

Are they a cute family or what??????

Sweet Jack was just a babe when we saw him last. Now, he is a delightful six year old, who loves collecting shells, showing off his killer karate moves and spending time with family. Honestly, I could eat him up. After the photos were done, and we were back at the house saying goodbye, he pulled me aside and asked if he could show me something alone. He instructed me to sit and then did a series of karate moves, ending with a spin on the floor and giving me a great big hug. I nearly cried….Swoooon! The Queen of this lovely bunch is Cheryl, who clearly has done a stellar job of raising some pretty wonderful children, who are now busy raising pretty wonderful children of their own, one by one making the world a brighter place. Thank you Cheryl and Garry!!!!! And Happy Anniversary!!! You two are an inspiration!!

Jonny, Nora, Maddie, Jack & Will. Love these guys!!

Hi happy gang….

When we got back to the house they’d rented, Nora wanted to show me a photo in one of the UK magazines of Prince William’s son wearing the same outfit Nora had purchased for Will especially for the photo session with us. Adorable! We thought it might be fun to do a little ‘Who Wore It Best’ like they so often do in the tabloids.  What do you think? Prince George or Sir Will? My vote easily goes to wee Will. (Prince George photo by James Whatling Pool/Getty Images)

Sweet Will getting some serious lovin’ from his attentive older siblings.

Madison & Jack….LOOOOVE!

Our newlyweds, Greg & Thahn…..happy, in love & just the sweetest!

Sometimes the kids in our sessions are really intrigued by what we do, and more specifically our cameras. So, we often let them take a peek behind the lens. Jack was really into it, especially when I told him that his composition in the photo he took (on the right) was awesome, and followed the rule of thirds, which I explained to him is when you divide your scene into thirds both vertically & horizontally and then place your subject in one of the corner points. He seemed really chuffed with himself and he should have been. How great is that photo he took of his gorgeous momma and baby brother? (OK, I admit to adjusting the settings before handing him the camera, but still…he totally connected with his subjects and that is always a key ingredient in an awesome photo!)

Of course, Maddie wanted a turn too, so I placed the settings where they needed to be, showed her where to look and which button to press and off she went. I must admit, letting the kids play with the camera is as much about keeping them excited & into what we’re doing as it is about giving me a chance for some snuggle time…

My turn for a close up of Will…..those eyes!!! And, those cheecks! Too much!

A little one on one time with James & Nicole. Anyone who doesn’t believe the eyes are the window to the soul hasn’t really looked at another person.

When we last photographed Nicole, she was the same age James is now. Our little girl is all grown up….and absolutely stunning…inside as much as so obviously out!

Greg & Thahn enjoying a little alone time while we were focused on the kids. And they thought we weren’t paying attention…HA!

Heading a little closer to the water for some more fun…way to help out Maddie!

Will was a bit tired & hungry so Johnny distracted him with some fun, which he loved. Although it was getting past his bedtime and I’m not sure Will knew whether to laugh or cry. Precious!

I can’t remember whose idea it was to jump, but I LOVE it!

Maddie was totally getting into it, and enjoying watching how high everyone could get. Love this perspective of her.

Momma’s love….there is nothing that compares.

Siblings….built in besties.

Run little boos, run! Can we talk about Maddie’s face for a second????

Maddie so enjoyed the running, she decided to strip down for less wind resistance and off she went…..she literally kept running….all the way to the end of the beach.

Which caused this reaction from her family…..

An exhausted little bird gets a helping hand from her adoring big brother. And, with the sun set, we call it a night.

Nora & Jonny, thank you soooo much for including us in your Cape Cod vacation, for sharing your crazy awesome family with us and for reminding us why we love what we do. There are many long hours spent in front of the computer, editing, retouching, blogging, doing the books, emails, paper work, etc. etc. ….stuff that sometimes makes us wonder why we wanted to start our own business. But, it is these moments, with wonderful, open, kind, fun, funny, warm, fabulous families like yours that make all of the hard work worth it!

We hope you all enjoyed yourselves as much as we did and that we not only captured for you some wonderful moments in this fleeting life, but, perhaps, we also helped create some lasting memories for you & your family. We love you guys and can’t wait to see you all again!!! It’s still surprising to me that it’s been 5 years, for as soon as we walked in the door, it felt like we were walking in to see old friends! Thank you for that! Thank you too for letting me feed Will when I arrived….not that you really had a choice. 🙂  What can I say, I love me some good baby time.  Thank you Garry for opening up and sharing your gorgeous photos with me. I LOVED seeing them and told Andy all about it on the drive home. We totally want a head up for your next show!

Till the next time, big love & hugs to you all!

Christine & Andy xoxo